Cross-country relay raising funds for Boston victims

Jun. 14, 2013
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Danny Bent, left, supports Will Allender of Fort Collins, Colo., as he runs past June 13 in Pueblo Pintado, N.M., as part of the One Run for Boston relay. The two were running along Indian Service Route 9. / Craig Fritz for USA TODAY

by Melanie Eversley, USA TODAY

by Melanie Eversley, USA TODAY

Like most of the world, three friends in England were horrified to watch coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing on April 15.

"When something like this happens, it doesn't matter where you're living - it just packs a hard punch," says Kate Treleaven,34, of Devon County, England.

Despite the distance, marathoner Treleaven and fellow runners Danny Bent and James Hay were determined to bring something positive to the sorrow. The result: One Run for Boston, a relay race across the United States that has attracted more than 1,000 runners and raised, so far, almost $50,000.

The money goes to One Fund Boston, the charity that helps those most adversely affected by the bombing. Three people died and more than 260 were injured.

The relay, which started June 7 on Venice Beach in the Los Angeles area, ends June 30 in Boston. Most participants run 10 miles or more.

"We thought, 'How could something so awful happen to a group of people who were doing something so wonderful?' " Treleaven said. "It was a need to purge that hideousness and basically bring things back to a happier equilibrium."

The trio settled on dates and mapped out a route using Google Maps and MapMyRun, an app for runners. A friend in art school created an Olympic-style torch with a GPS tracking device so the public could follow the relay on the OneRunforBoston.org website. They recruited sponsors and contacted running clubs across the United States.

Treleaven and Bent flew to Los Angeles. Hay stayed behind, promoting the race on Facebook, Twitter and the website.

On the blustery morning of June 7, One Run for Boston kicked off with about two dozen people running 3 miles from Venice Beach to Santa Monica Beach.

Holly Miller, a social media specialist and marathoner from Scottsdale, Ariz., was one of them. Miller ran the Boston Marathon this year and finished before the explosions. The start of the relay touched her, she said.

"There were a couple of runners from Boston, and we gave them a round of applause," said Miller, 36.

Miller has gone on to run three more legs - one in California and two in the Flagstaff, Ariz., area, she said. She ran with temperatures in the 90s in Arizona. Bent ran part of the way with her.

As Miller and other runners have logged mile after mile, buzz has grown on social media. Legs open to individual runners, which cost $50 to run, have filled. The relay grew so quickly that Runner's World chief running officer Bart Yasso lamented that he could not get a spot.

"The logistics have to be overwhelming. I admire their passion," Yasso said. "The Boston bombings had a global impact, and this relay is living proof."

One-fourth of the entry fees goes toward costs; the rest goes to One Fund Boston, Treleaven said. All donations go to the charity.

Some runners have traversed 26 miles - about the equivalent of a marathon - in temperatures topping 100 degrees. Navajo Indians joined many of the runs out West, she said.

A sense of community among runners has been evident. Gary Allen, a distance runner and race organizer from Great Cranberry Island, Maine, will run three consecutive legs totaling 33 miles in a remote part of northern Texas, thanks to the generosity of another relay runner, Will Allender of Fort Collins, Colo., who donated frequent-flier miles so Allen could fly to Texas. The stretch is one of a few areas the organizers had trouble filling.

Treleaven and Bent follow the runners, driving alongside and offering water, making sure they don't become injured or dehydrated. The two usually sleep in a Ford SUV donated by Alamo Rent A Car.

Mary Hoatlin, a runner who will join the relay when it reaches the St. Louis area, volunteered to drum up support. She got actor Kevin Spacey and Olympians Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan, who both ran the 2013 Boston Marathon, to tweet about the event.

"I just want this to get the attention that this deserves," said Hoatlin, 43, a social worker.

On June 29, the run stops in New York at the World Trade Center Memorial and in Central Park before heading north to Hopkinton, Mass., where the Boston Marathon starts. The last four legs will follow the marathon route.

Bombing victims and families are being invited to attend the finish. The organizers will present the torch to Boston Marathon race director Dave McGillivray.

"When something bad happens," Treleaven said, "you don't just lock yourself in your house. You get back out there and you overcome it."